Mazzer Mini E Doserless, Type A & Type B - Page 2

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HB (original poster)
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#11: Post by HB (original poster) »

You are a brave man! I wanted sooo-o-o bad to remove it so I could compare, but being an evaluation grinder, I resisted temptation as it didn't appear easily reversible. Would you post a picture of the filled basket similar to mine earlier in the thread?
Dan Kehn

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HB (original poster)
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#12: Post by HB (original poster) »

Before closing out this update, let's take a second look at the "out of the chute" distribution depicted earlier in this thread. The question at hand is "do doserless grinders clump more than doser grinders?" Below is a side-by-side comparison of baskets filled with a modified doserless Super Jolly (left), Mazzer Mini E Type A (middle), and doser Mazzer Robur (right):

Image
(click to enlarge)

Although visually there is some evidence of clumping from the doserless grinders, our group of testers felt it was inconsequential, especially for beans free of lots of oil (the beans ground above were roasted a few days ago). It appears that the Mini E's sample is smoother than the modified Super Jolly thanks to the little grid on the exit chute that breaks up grinds.

Bottom line: For those who prize neatness and single-shot convenience, the Mini E is a winner.
Dan Kehn

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Teme
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#13: Post by Teme »

Hi Dan,

Do you have any preferences in favour of either the Mod A or the Mod B? In daily use do you find the PF activation of the Mod B more or less convenient than the push buttons on the lid of the Mod A (e.g. if topping up the dose)? And how do they compare in terms of the "feel"? I assume that there is minor difference when removing the lid for cleaning?

Br,
Teme

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#14: Post by HB (original poster) »

Teme,

I didn't have a strong preference for either, but I see how your usage might sway your decision one way or another. For example, the Type B is naturally more "portafilter centric". If you're the type that often grinds into a secondary container or removed portafilter basket, the Type A's very large and visible buttons atop the funnel are appealing. Of course you can press the Type B's switch easily and intuitively enough, but first and foremost it's designed with one-hand portafilter usage in mind.

Both grinders have a formidable finger guard and the famous wire grid to help with dispersion. Realistically, they are there to stay, so there's little motivation for removing the funnel lid regularly. I admit that I removed the finger guard on the Type B so I could watch the grinds exit the chute and get a better idea if it was more prone to clumping. Were it not for that curiosity, I wouldn't bother removing the lid and would resign myself to running the grinder for a couple seconds to clear yesterday's grinds. So while the Type A's "telephone cord" tether and big "push here" buttons don't appeal to my sense of aesthetics, I don't see any risk of it suffering damage in a home environment.

If you decide like some owners to remove the grid for easy cleaning of the chute (which I don't recommend), the Type B has a definite advantage since its lid can be left aside w/o problem. Brusquely taking the Type A's lid on and off over an extended period might cause troubles.
Dan Kehn

singforsupper
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#15: Post by singforsupper »

Dear Mazzer Mini owners, I want to share my experience regarding the wire screen in the chute of the Mazzer. The message is... I suggest that you DO NOT REMOVE IT!

Now... for those of you less familiar with the inside of the distribution cone on your machine you may be asking where is the "wire screen?" When you take off the touchpad lid (model A) or the plain lid (model B) covering the cone you will first see a finger guard.

Image

Some people including myself have removed this fingerguard in order to allow cleaning out of the cone with a brush. It removes with two screws. Then you will see a wire screen over the chute inside the cone.

Image

I removed the wire screen so I could clean out the grounds in the chute that it was seemingly holds back. WRONG. What I found is that, without the screen, grounds back up in the chute much as if the wire screen were in place.

I removed the wire screen by taking off the entire cone with the removal of two more screws. I then took my dremel and gently ground out the wire to have smooth edges where it was removed. This resulted in one major problem, static. You may have seen reports of static issues already. Well, they are true. This little wonder screen actually keeps static electricity out of the grinds. Without it, the grinds sort of spray out of the cone and stick to the rim of the PF basket and fly onto the counter. Normally the Mini E really sends an accurate stream of grounds into the center of the PF. Also, because of static, the grounds tend to pile up inside the cone and then "avalanche" unexpectedly into your PF. This NEVER happens with the screen in. If fact, you never really have to clean the cone with the screen in. Other problems previously mentioned such as clumping were not a big issue, but presumably due to the static, I also had blonding no matter how hard I tamped.

My story, as gut wrenching as it is, has a happy ending. Distressed that my mazzer was out of sorts I called 1st-Line Equipment where I bought my mini E. They could not get a wire screen or even an entire cone assembly. Chris' Coffee could not get me the part either. So, I called Mazzer direct in Venezia (Venice), Italy. A gent named Luca answered. We conversed in English and I explained my stupidity. He took pity on me and airmailed a new wire screen and gasket at no charge. Here is a view of the gasket and wire screen from the back of the detached cone.

Image

Thank you Luca and thank you Mazzer. Thank you Dan Kehn for the use of the photos on this post. I replaced the old gasket and disfigured screen with the new ones and my Mazzer Mini E now works like new.

This is a repost from the original at https://www.coffeegeek.com/forums/espre ... nes/161735.

puffinjk
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#16: Post by puffinjk »

Hi Singforsupper,

Thanks for sharing your info on your mini E exit chute grid. I have a super Jolly doserless(martini shaker mod), so I found your thread quite interesting. I though I would give the grid idea a try, I used some 20 ga copper wire, and made a two wire grid. I think the results were quite positive, less static, little clumping, and a nice fluffy distribution. In the cup results I will need more time on. Has anyone else out there tried this mod?

Jim

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HB (original poster)
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#17: Post by HB (original poster) »

Sorry, I'm a little late on the announcement...

The updates to the Feature Spotlight on Espresso Grinders are online. Comments, corrections and follow-up questions to the article are all welcome in Article Feedback.
Dan Kehn

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